Double Overtime, March 2nd.

Two things to get out the way first...including some very sad news indeed for British hockey,

Dave Page, Nottingham Panthers' official photographer for many years, and a well-known figure in British hockey, has passed away suddenly, having been admitted to hospital nine days ago. The Panthers have announced it officially here, with the Cardiff Devils posting a tribute on their site also. Mr Page's photo's are arguably the best ever produced of British hockey, and the sport has lost a true friend...condolences go to his family...

Hold on, I'm not done yet...

I need to apologize to the city of Manchester...

For some obscure reason last week I thought that the Phoenix still had the semi of the Challenge Cup to play...they are of course in two finals, not one, halving the odds against my prediction coming true...which is one I still hold to despite them falling victim to Coventry in their only game of the weekend...

Anyway, onto the weekend...beginning with a defence of one of the league's premier misunderstood geniuses...

"You got a piece of me....and, honestly...
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you..."
Kelly Clarkson: My Life (Would Suck Without You)

Ryan Finnerty isn't one of those players who thrives on the roar of the crowd. Well, not roars of adulation, anyway...when EIHL fans are asked which player in their league they hate the most, the name of the Lethbridge, Alberta native always comes at or very near the top of the list. This may well be due to the fact that he's a past-master at being a wind-up merchant, is never averse to getting his nose dirty, or simply because he seems to cause more irritation to opposition fans and players than a sandpaper suppository, without seemingly trying.

Here in Coventry he's particularly unpopular, mainly due to the fact that he always seems to play well against the Blaze, as well as an infamous (well, in Coventry anyway) Youtube clip in which he ( mildly) mocks Blaze fan favourite Adam Calder after Sheffield's playoff win last season...

At this point you'd expect me, as a Coventrian, to toe the party line of "Finner is a muppet"-and I freely admit that sometimes, as with the ridiculous Cardiff feud with Jay Latulippe earlier this season, which I commented about at length, he's the kind of player that can make even his team's most fervent fan wince...

I've never liked being predictable, though...

Ryan Finnerty is one of the best players in the league...and one of my favourites...

Not only that, but (and we'll leave aside the debates on whether the chance should have arisen for later) he finished beautifully to win Steelers the game.

But aside from this-he's a player that the league needs desperately, precisely because he divides opinion so massively. If you're looking for a forward to never be out-worked, play with a fair bit of skill to go with a gift for irrating the opposition and score your team goals when they most need them, then Finnerty is probably one of the first names on the hypothetical team-sheet-he's proof that pure skill is good, but a few ragged edges combined with a genius for irritation and a fearless attitude is just as good as pure skill, if not better...

And that's why he's become the franchise player of arguably the biggest club in the league, and will be so sought after if and when he decides that he may fancy a change from Sheffield...

Now onto the rest of the league weekend...

Well, we wanted a barn-burner, and we got one...: Coventry v Sheffield on Sunday saw three fights, a coach ejected for hurling sticks onto the ice in his best Ed Courtenay impersonation, and Sheffield setting themselves up for a high-point in Steelers hockey, the likes of which hasn't been seen for several years-they could, potentially, win the title in Nottingham this coming Saturday. I'd try and describe the game, but it's probably better just to watch the highlights, courtesy of BlazeTV, and make up your own mind about the highly controversial second and third Steelers goals and also Michael Hicks' refereeing performance...

The kitchen sink survived only due to being bolted down: However, one thing that highlight package does omit is the fusillade of equipment thrown from the Coventry bench as Paul Thompson did his best Steve Backley impression in disgust at the play being allowed to continue as long as it did (in fairness, he has a point-the incident is at 7 minutes into the highlights and Doug Sheppard is so close to Erik Hjalmarsson as he goes round the back of the net and falls to lose the puck and give the chance in the first place, that the Steeler would probably be arrested for lewd behaviour in several American states)...

Scoring is all very well, lads...but you may need to play some defence occasionally: Belfast appear to be making a habit out of big scores...after recently scoring eight yet conceding five against Basingstoke, this weekend it was the Hull Stingrays' turn to have a superb offensive night and still lose, as the Giants beat them 8-6 at the Odyssey.

Even Giants need rest occasionally: However, it wasn't all rosy for Belfast as their run of four games in five nights finally took its toll on them in Edinburgh, with the Capitals nicking a 4-2 win for a crucial two points in their chase of Hull for the last playoff spot...

"Anything you can do..." is actually a Hull proverb, you know...: Well, it isn't (at least as far as I'm aware) but it might as well be-the Stingrays reacted to their rivals' win against a top four team at home by...well, winning against a top four team at home. Nottingham were the unwilling victims this time round, as the Stingrays conceded four at Hull Ice Arena but put six past Michel Robinson at the other end (technically, five and an empty-netter, but let's not split hairs)...and made the battle at the bottom of the table, as it was last season, far more interesting going into the final month of the season than that at the top...

Two points is better than none: Manchester, meanwhile, as mentioned above, lost their only game of the weekend in Altrincham, thanks to the Blaze hitting form and (we thought then) giving themselves a springboard into Sunday's game...

We'll call that one even, then...: Meanwhile, Cardiff and Newcastle split their double-header, each winning their home legs. Quite what you'd expect from two teams who, seemingly, are stronger at home than on their travels this season...

There you go...that's your weekend reviewed and a little bit of opinion thrown in for free...